Firefighters save donkey trapped in well

[Marilyn. 340]

UNDERWOOD, Minn. - A donkey is happily eating grass again after falling down a dry, abandoned well and being freed in an intensive rescue effort. It appeared that the animal wandered away from its farm and onto some boards covering the well, which broke, said Bruce Huseth, fire chief in this western Minnesota town.

Firefighters quickly realized that the animal, which belongs to farmer Warren Gundberg, couldn't just be pulled from the abandoned well on Bryan Nelson's land.

So they started pulling away earth with a tractor and dismantling the well block by block Thursday. Once one wall had been taken apart, firefighters put a harness around the donkey and guided it out with a rope.

"Whatever it takes," Nelson said as he watched his well come down. "I love animals, and I'm just glad it's OK."

Gundberg admonished the animal after the rescue: "I bet you'll think twice about doing that again. If you would have stayed home you wouldn't be in this trouble."

Huseth said that he has rescued cows that have fallen through ice, but that the donkey was a first.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070915/ap_on_..._donkey_rescued

[Jasman0717 9]

Wasn't there a farmer joke about this where the farmer was just going to bury the donkey so was filling up the well with dirt. Can't remember the punch line but the donkey got out.

Way to go firefighters

[Marilyn. 340]

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well that the farmer had accidentally left uncovered. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway, so it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

Now, most people think that's the end, but it isn't.

The donkey later came back and bit the heck out of the farmer who had tried to bury him. The gash from the bite got infected, and the farmer eventually died in agony from septic shock.

So the real moral from today's lesson?

When you do something wrong and try to cover your a$$, it always comes back to bite you.

Wasn't there a farmer joke about this where the farmer was just going to bury the donkey so was filling up the well with dirt. Can't remember the punch line but the donkey got out.

Way to go firefighters

Edited September 15, 2007 by MarilynP

[Jasman0717 9]

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well that the farmer had accidentally left uncovered. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway, so it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

Now, most people think that's the end, but it isn't.

The donkey later came back and bit the heck out of the farmer who had tried to bury him. The gash from the bite got infected, and the farmer eventually died in agony from septic shock.

So the real moral from today's lesson?

When you do something wrong and try to cover your a$, it always comes back to bite you.

Wasn't there a farmer joke about this where the farmer was just going to bury the donkey so was filling up the well with dirt. Can't remember the punch line but the donkey got out.

Way to go firefighters

Thats it, thanks

[Nagishkaw 510]

That was a nice story with a happy ending. YAY for the firefighters !

[Mags 112]

Awww lovely story, Marilyn.

[mybackpages 0]

I love a good donkey story with a happy ending!

[Jasman0717 9]

I love a good donkey story with a happy ending!

Good donkey story

[almaty 19]

I love a good donkey story with a happy ending!

damn sister i do too../the noble donkey is the pick-up of the 3rd world..... to the noble burro

Edited September 16, 2007 by almaty

[JODO 2]

Awww